Pterodactyl Worldwild

It’s a safe bet that Pterodactyl slays in the warehouse circuit. Where you’re crammed into a random hole-in-the-wall locale, spastic bands powered by angular guitars, chugging rhythms, chirping vocals, and DIY spirit make a whole lot of sense. Unfortunately, capturing that energy on record is exceedingly difficult, and Worldwild finds the Brooklyn quartet falling short in the attempt. Bands like Oneida and Deerhoof long ago set the bar for this kind-of hi-brow, lo-fi art-rock, and Pterodactyl simply doesn’t measure up. Propulsive rocker “Share the Shade” is a highlight, but most of the songs here fail to coalesce into anything particularly memorable.